The Drumometer

Michael G

Silver Member
I'm just curious, how many people on here have one? I just got mine a few minutes ago in the mail and wow this thing is so cool!

I rocked out my first 60 second run ever and pulled out 803 (traditional) and I'm very content with that. Hopefully within the next few months I'll be able to increase it.

What a great invention, I'm having so much fun messing around with this. I can see why those WFD cats can get into this, it is addicting!

Also for Matt and Tom: Any practice tips?
 
Hey Smoothjazz,

That's great you invested in a drumometer. It's a great tool and a lot of fun. When I first got my drumometer, I was getting scores that were in 800-900 range. That's great that you got 803 single strokes in your first run, it shows that you got some pretty decent chops.

What I basically did was practice my fundamentals very slowly for long periods of time, because this builds muscle memory. I spent a good hour to an hour and a half practicing every day, mostly singles at the time and doubles. flams, etc. and that's how I was able to reach those really high numbers. I practiced on the WFD pad a lot and it doesn't have very much rebound but it has some though, but not a significant amount of rebound like those Vicfirth pads do. And I practiced on a pillow every now and then, but I suggest you practice on a WFD pad and stick with it so you can get used to the feeling of the pad.

Give your hands a break while you're practicing for long periods of time. Always stretch before and after working on this and give your hands a shake. If you watch my YouTube videos, you'll notice that I do that.

Don't try and isolate your fingers from your wrist or vice verca. I don't think it's a good idea in my opinion. Art Verdi and some other guys just use fingers but that's them, they're exceptions. But most people find it difficult and they usually experience pain so you shouldn't even bother goin' there.

Also, spend a lot of your time with your left hand, because that's what will bring you down so work on it.

Don't check your score on a daily basis either. It's addicting, I know, but it's a bad habit, because if you spend too much time seeing how fast you can go, you're gonna strain your muscles especially when you're not prepared. I was able to do 30-40 runs in a day when I was in Austin, and I was fine because I had been preparing for this competition for an entire year. I was always hitting above the 1100 mark consistently when I was there. Matt Smith was startled and thought something was wrong with the drumometer... I really scared some people. lol But yeah, spend more time practicing, and check your score every now and then.

Also, make sure you pay close attention to what you're doing. Be fastidious with your technique; you really have to perfect what you're doing if you want to get it down right. That's what I did.

Understand that there is more that one way of approaching this. Matt, who can offer a bit more insight on the technical side (because you're playing traditional), has a different technique than I, and I have a different technique from Mangini's, and Jotans, and so forth. Do whatever works for you.

Hope this helps.
 
Great tips man, thanks! I've been messing with this thing alot the whole day, good thing you mentioned about stretching out hands and making sure to not do it on a daily basis. Before that I probably would have been checking scores the whole rest of the day. I'm pretty relaxed, no hard straining except in a few runs to see if would help (and it didn't).

Hopefully matt will see this and chime in, or anyone else with a drumometer. Doesn't seem to be that many at the moment
 
Back when I rented an electronic kit, I used to make my own bootleg drumometer.

I would get someone to time me, then hit it for 60 seconds, turn the brain on and off, and it would say the difference in times the kit and been hit. It was addicting even for a bootleg version! I can't wait to get my real one.

Good purchase.
 
Back when I rented an electronic kit, I used to make my own bootleg drumometer.

I would get someone to time me, then hit it for 60 seconds, turn the brain on and off, and it would say the difference in times the kit and been hit. It was addicting even for a bootleg version! I can't wait to get my real one.

Good purchase.

It is, and there is no better time to get one than now.

Musiciansfriend has a clearance on them, $149.99 and FREE shipping (which means alot because from the WFD site its $17)

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Drumometer-Model-II?sku=490028
Very cool, SJ - it can be fun to work with! The Time Test is a good "time test"!

The time test eh, read about it in the manual. Still haven't got to it, gotta mess with that tomorrow thanks for the reminder.
 
OK, sorry for sounding naive, but what the heck is a drumometer? I m intrigued.

The official counter used by all the WFD (world's fastest drummer) competitions. It counts the number of strokes within a time limit, and it's THE way to practice your WFD run.
 
OK I know exactly what you re talking about but how can I use this in an everyday setting? Im by far not the world's fastest drummer but after reading the posts I see that it can be helpful in everyday practice. What are the benefits?
 
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My first encounter with a drumometer was sobering. Here I was, a happening drummer with gigs coming out of my eyeballs and I barely cracked 720 on my first run. I was depressed for a week. I later found out that there are some heavy players who can't do a drumometer run for anything.

I took it as a challenge, cleaned up my chops, studied with Mike Mangini and Art Verdi and I am "on course" to crack 1000 later this year.

Some people have naturally quick hands or nervous systems and some have to work at it. Either way. there is no more accurate device for measuring progress.
 
Flame me all you want ........but ...it's kind of like buying a 500 HP car ....why? I guess I just never understood the "drum - speed" phenomenon. Maybe, its' because I'm technicall inept on the drums!? LOL :)

Seroiusly though...I don't get this.....but for those who are into it, ....I think it's cool. If you want to develop speed, I would think that this tool is a must! Good luck SJ!
 
And endurance and be able to add more to your drumming vocabulary...

I don't mean to come across as rude...this is an honest question, and not being sarcastic. How does being able to play 1000 strokes in a second add to your drumming vocabulary? I mean, realistically, assuming you are playing a 4/4 tune, 1000 strokes in 60 seconds is 16 strokes in a second (actually slightly more, 16 and 2/3 of a stroke), or 4 stokes every 1/4 second...so you are playing 16th notes 240 BPM. How does that expand your drumming vocabulary? It seems to me that it just helps you play faster...which is great to a point, but it seems that most drummers, outside of speed metal and the likes, will never use that.
 
My first encounter with a drumometer was sobering. Here I was, a happening drummer with gigs coming out of my eyeballs and I barely cracked 720 on my first run. I was depressed for a week. I later found out that there are some heavy players who can't do a drumometer run for anything.

Yeah I got a drumometer last summer, my first run was 770, next day was 870, the next day I hit 974, but I've never hit that since. I've got 900's on a few occasions, but there you go. I'm also trying to refine my technique these days, and I'm seeing good results from all the advice Tom's been giving me. I'm pretty confident I'll get to where I want in time.

Mrchattr, the way I see it is that if you can move fast enough, you can add more musically to your playing. For example, if you do it where it's needed, a fast hand playing a pattern between the ride and a secondary hi hat could add a lot to a song. Or maybe if you wanted to go Jojo Mayer style and play electronic music, you'd certainly be more capable of playing it like the computer would, but with a human touch.

Just my veiw.

T
 
I don't mean to come across as rude...this is an honest question, and not being sarcastic. How does being able to play 1000 strokes in a second add to your drumming vocabulary? I mean, realistically, assuming you are playing a 4/4 tune, 1000 strokes in 60 seconds is 16 strokes in a second (actually slightly more, 16 and 2/3 of a stroke), or 4 stokes every 1/4 second...so you are playing 16th notes 240 BPM. How does that expand your drumming vocabulary? It seems to me that it just helps you play faster...which is great to a point, but it seems that most drummers, outside of speed metal and the likes, will never use that.

My view on this is to theoretically be able to play almost everything as single strokes, or play more parts using one hand. I know a lot of things that I could work on in my playing that really just involve more speed and endurance from my hands, and yes, those things are musical ideas that i could really apply. That's just what's true for me personally.
 
Yeah I got a drumometer last summer, my first run was 770, next day was 870, the next day I hit 974, but I've never hit that since. I've got 900's on a few occasions, but there you go. I'm also trying to refine my technique these days, and I'm seeing good results from all the advice Tom's been giving me. I'm pretty confident I'll get to where I want in time.

Mrchattr, the way I see it is that if you can move fast enough, you can add more musically to your playing. For example, if you do it where it's needed, a fast hand playing a pattern between the ride and a secondary hi hat could add a lot to a song. Or maybe if you wanted to go Jojo Mayer style and play electronic music, you'd certainly be more capable of playing it like the computer would, but with a human touch.

Just my veiw.

T

My view on this is to theoretically be able to play almost everything as single strokes, or play more parts using one hand. I know a lot of things that I could work on in my playing that really just involve more speed and endurance from my hands, and yes, those things are musical ideas that i could really apply. That's just what's true for me personally.

Thanks guys. I didn't really think of it from either of those angles at all, but it actually makes a lot more sense now.
 
I don't mean to come across as rude...this is an honest question, and not being sarcastic. How does being able to play 1000 strokes in a second add to your drumming vocabulary? I mean, realistically, assuming you are playing a 4/4 tune, 1000 strokes in 60 seconds is 16 strokes in a second (actually slightly more, 16 and 2/3 of a stroke), or 4 stokes every 1/4 second...so you are playing 16th notes 240 BPM. How does that expand your drumming vocabulary? It seems to me that it just helps you play faster...which is great to a point, but it seems that most drummers, outside of speed metal and the likes, will never use that.

Well, because it does expand your drumming vocabulary to a great extent. I'm not saying every drummer will use speed but it's a very good tool to have, and you'd be surprised with how many drummers actually use speed as one of their tools. I've found that the faster you can play in a minute, the more endurance you actually have in a playing situation. Also, there are many drummers who use speed besides metal heads. Buddy Rich and Louie Bellson used to play at ridiculous speeds all the time and that required a lot of endurance, especially in those drum battles they used to have back then.
 
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